Ikea Mattress Cutaway Pictures

[sdmark]

Since Ikea doesn’t post the thickness of individual components, I thought some pictures might help. These photos were taken 9/22/2013 at the San Diego Ikea location. Note that the tape measure isn’t always aligned exactly at the top of the mattress.

Hogla Coil with poly foam

Holmsta Coil with latex and poly foam

Edsele Latex foam

Elsfjord Latex foam

Favang High resilience poly foam

Finnvik High resilience poly foam plus memory foam

Fjordgard High resilience poly foam plus latex foam

Flokenes High resilience poly foam plus memory foam

Sultan Torod topper unzipped (this pic taken 3/28/2014)

[phoenix]

Hi sdmark,

Thanks for the pictures … they’re great!

I’ve also linked them to the Ikea post here so that other members who are considering an Ikea mattress can see them

Phoenix

[sdmark]

Some pics of the updated foam mattresses, taken in the San DIego store 4/13/2014. I’ve posted some comments in post #58 here.

Morgedal 2-layer poly, probably medium firm (mislabeled firmness per salesperson)

Morgedal 2-layer poly, firm. Look closely to see the dividing line between the layers at about 4.5" on the measuring tape.

Here is a closeup where you can see the dividing line a little better:

Matrand memory foam + poly

Matrand latex + poly

Matrand latex label - 12cm (4.7") Mountaintop C3 foam

Myrbacka memory foam + poly

Myrbacka latex + poly

Top of Myrbacka latex sample unzipped. Note sample is only half the length of mattress. Zoning is not as evident on top of latex, but bottom is glued to polyfoam so can’t take a picture of that.

Morgonava latex

Bottom of Morgongava latex sample unzipped. Full length of mattress. You can see the seven zones created by different-sized holes.

Mark

[phoenix]

Hi sdmark,

Thank you very much once again for the pictures … I really appreciate it

Phoenix
NOTE ADDED: As of July 2018 Morgongava is Discontinued and replaced by 8" MAUSUND NR latex line (85% NR & 15% SBR Latex) lineup.

[MatRest]

Hello Mattress Underground,

I’ve been reading this site for a few days now (I recall a suggestion to spend an hour or so to review the info here… ha!), and by coincidence I can contribute in a small way before asking questions. (my saga to follow elsewhere)

I have a few pictures of IKEA mattress innards that I took today. Not their demo pieces, but the actual mattress opened up. These are their lower end spring mattresses, but may serve as a starting point for anyone considering them. (I am shopping for a 40 lb kid)

SULTAN HURVA
Very basic model (but not the most basic!).

Construction: Cover, Fabric layer, Bonnel springs, Felt layer, polyfoam (web says 1.5 lb/ft³), Cover. No measurements unfortunately, but I don’t think the polyfoam layer was more than 3/4" thk. It is wrapped around slightly in this picture, so looks thicker than it is.

The felt layer seemed to hold the springs together and give a more solid feel than the next model down with the same construction and no felt. This mattress felt firm to me, as if I (~135 lb) was laying on top of it, definitely not in it. A little bit wobbly though. Not too bad, but I definitely felt like I was on top of something.

Concerns:

1. The foam looks very thin and cheap. Experience with the no-felt model (Havberg) related to me says the mattress “wore out” (with a jumper) within 3-4 yrs, but now serves as a “good” base for a Costco mattress. How long could one expect this thin, low-density foam to last for a small, non-jumping child?

2. No data on the spring gauge. It felt “firm” to me, but do the springs actually wear out? And would they for a small child who “doesn’t” jump on the mattress (…if there’s anybody watching…).

3. No wrapping at the side other than the cover. Sitting on the edge (an important consideration for story time) felt soft but acceptable. I could see this compressing over time if the springs get tired.

SULTAN HANESTAD

Sorry for the cropped picture. This at least shows the pocket springs and thickness of the top layer and surrounding foam. Again, the top layer doesn’t look any thicker than 3/4". Website has no information.

This mattress was very soft at the sides - the pocket springs were very soft. It was easily compressible when pressed. The description says it is Firm, but it felt softer than the HALLEN (next). Laying on it, it gave at hips and rear when laying on side and back, and felt a bit precarious, as if I could just ooze off if I wasn’t careful. You wouldn’t want to spend any time reading a story perched on the side of this one for fear you’d slide off.

Again, how long would the springs and foam last?

SULTAN HALLEN

This one felt good (for IKEA?). It “gave” when laid on, but only in the expected spots - hips, rear, etc. When laying on my side, I could feel my hip sunk into the mattress somewhat, but not too much, and my side right next to it felt supported, unlike a linked-spring mattress that would have a wider depression, leaving some of my side unsupported. It felt like it conformed to my profile as needed. Also, the child moves around a lot when sleeping, and so should spread the load. The sides were also acceptable to sit on for story-time. Presumably this floor model has had some use already too.

The IKEA website says here that the foam on top is “High Resilience”, so maybe that explains the feeling of support. This foam looks a little bit thicker too.

Question: Elsewhere on this site, "High Density foam is described as starting around a density of 1.8 lb/cu.ft, and “High Resilience” foam is a notch above, starting at 2.5 lbs. IKEA says that this “HR” foam is 1.5 lb/cu.ft. How can that be? Creative license? A Swedish pound? I guess the HR term isn’t controlled?

If I shop at IKEA, I’m trying to choose between a “firm” (at first) spring mattress in the HURVA, and a “giving” mattress in the HALLEN. All the while trying to correlate the effects of a ~135 lb adult to those of a 40 lb child. The mattress will be placed on a very solid built-up plywood base as part of an older wooden bed.

Sure, the child will grow, but how long before their weight is too much for a low-end IKEA spring? And if they sleep on their stomach sometimes, will that cause a problem?

My sense is that a child is a ways away from not getting enough support from the mattress, but I don’t want to throw away money, regardless of how cheap it is. It may be an experiment…

Hope the pictures are useful for someone. I may go back and get better ones, but I have a whole saga of our own mattress to deal with as well (elsewhere).

[phoenix]

Hi MatRest,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and pictures … I appreciate it

There isn’t any way to quantify your questions about “how long will this mattress last” because there are too many variables involved but all of them are in a very low quality range so for an adult it could vary from months in some cases to a few years in others (assuming they are comfortable and are a good match in terms of PPP in the first place). In most cases the best you can do is look at the construction of each mattress and look for any obvious weak links and make an “informed judgement” that “this mattress” will likely last longer than “that mattress” but it’s not possible to put a specific number of years on a mattress because it depends on how long it takes cross the thresholds from sleeping well on a mattress to “sleeping OK” to “tolerating a mattress” to finally deciding to replace it and this can vary widely between people. You can read about some of the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to different people in post #4 here and the posts it links to.

Ikea also doesn’t provide all the specs for any of the mattresses you mentioned (see this article) so it’s not really possible to make any particularly meaningful comments about them but I can make a few based on the information they do provide and I would be very hesitant to purchase any of them.

SULTAN HURVA:

I would make sure that it has at least 390 coils in a queen size Bonnell coil. If it has less than this (or if there isn’t a good insulator as you discovered) I wouldn’t buy it because it wouldn’t provide even support and the chances of it becoming lumpy fairly quickly as the foam sinks into the coils would be much too high. The innerspring is 5" tall so if the polyfoam layer is 3/4" then the rest of the 2" comfort layer would be synthetic fiber. With the 1.5 lb polyfoam and fiber and most likely a low coil count this would be a mattress that I would generally only consider as a guest bed or for a child. If it was being used for a child then it would probably be reasonable to expect it to last while they were younger but once they start to grow larger or reach their preteen years then it probably wouldn’t be suitable any longer although it could still make a good “base mattress” for a topper.

1. The foam looks very thin and cheap. Experience with the no-felt model (Havberg) related to me says the mattress “wore out” (with a jumper) within 3-4 yrs, but now serves as a “good” base for a Costco mattress.

This would last longer than a similar mattress that didn’t have an insulator to keep the padding materials from sinking into the coils and getting lumpy and uncomfortable.

2. No data on the spring gauge. It felt “firm” to me, but do the springs actually wear out? And would they for a small child who “doesn’t” jump on the mattress (…if there’s anybody watching…).

In most cases the springs aren’t the weakest link in a mattress no and the foams above them will usually break down before the springs lose their temper (assuming that the coils are tempured) but with thinner layers of padding the springs will be compressed more so they will be less durable than if there were thicker layers above them so their gauge and coil count would be a little more important. The bigger issue with Bonnell coils (outside of breaking) would be with the springs developing noises or with the springs coming through thinner layers of padding above them.

3. No wrapping at the side other than the cover. Sitting on the edge (an important consideration for story time) felt soft but acceptable. I could see this compressing over time if the springs get tired.

Ikea ships most of their mattresses compressed and to do this they need to remove any border wire in their innersprings so without this or a firmer foam “tub” there would be little edge support and again this could become a durability issue if you sit on the edge of the mattress on a regular basis.

SULTAN HANESTAD:

This mattress only has about an inch and a half of padding (lower density polyfoam and polyester fiber) over the 7" pocket coils. A pocket coil would be less durable than the Bonnell coil in the previous mattress because the coils aren’t linked together to “share the load” and this is also a lower coil count than I would tend to look at in a pocket coil mattress. With a thinner layer of padding than the Hallen the coils themselves would be doing more of the compressing and if they are softer than the foam in the Hallen this would account for the difference in feel.

SULTAN HALLEN:

This mattress has about 2.5" of padding (the thicker layer of lower density polyfoam and polyester fiber) over the springs so the foam would be doing more of the compressing than in the Hanestad which is probably the reason it felt firmer and more “supportive” than the Hanestad. Again though … this is a lower coil count than I would tend to consider in a pocket coil mattress. The thicker padding compared to the Hallen would also make it less durable (more “soft stuff” on top to soften and break down over time) so it may have more of a tendency to develop soft spots or impressions over time.

[quote]The IKEA website says here that the foam on top is “High Resilience”, so maybe that explains the feeling of support. This foam looks a little bit thicker too.

Question: Elsewhere on this site, "High Density foam is described as starting around a density of 1.8 lb/cu.ft, and “High Resilience” foam is a notch above, starting at 2.5 lbs. IKEA says that this “HR” foam is 1.5 lb/cu.ft. How can that be? Creative license? A Swedish pound? I guess the HR term isn’t controlled?[/quote]

1.5 lb polyfoam isn’t HR polyfoam so this is “creative license”. The foam in the Hallen could be a higher performance polyfoam that has a higher resilience than the same density polyfoam used in the Hanestad or in the Hurva (which would also make it more costly) but it would be in a similar durability range to other 1.5 lb foams and high performance polyfoam isn’t the same as HR polyfoam even if it does have a higher resilience than conventional polyfoam. Resilience is the percentage rebound when a ball is dropped on a material and higher resilience means that the ball will bounce higher. To qualify as actual HR polyfoam a foam would need to be 2.5 lb density, have a compression modulus or 2.4 or higher, and have a resilience of 60%.

[quote]If I shop at IKEA, I’m trying to choose between a “firm” (at first) spring mattress in the HURVA, and a “giving” mattress in the HALLEN. All the while trying to correlate the effects of a ~135 lb adult to those of a 40 lb child. The mattress will be placed on a very solid built-up plywood base as part of an older wooden bed.

Sure, the child will grow, but how long before their weight is too much for a low-end IKEA spring? And if they sleep on their stomach sometimes, will that cause a problem?[/quote]

If I had to choose between these mattresses for a child (although I would hesitate to choose any of them) I would lean towards the Hurva with the Bonnell coil which would likely be firmer and more suitable for a child and also more durable and could also make a good “base mattress” for a topper so you could extend its useful life when they get older and heavier and begin to develop and need some additional padding and pressure relief in their mattress .

Phoenix

[MatRest]

Hi Phoenix,

Thank you for the feedback. You raise some interesting points.

Yes, I wouldn’t expect these mattresses to last long for anyone but a child. I was just trying to gauge the relative “quality” based on the info available.

[quote]
SULTAN HURVA

…The innerspring is 5" tall so if the polyfoam layer is 3/4" then the rest of the 2" comfort layer would be synthetic fiber…[/quote]

I’m not sure about the spring height, but I would be very surprised if there is a 2" comfort layer anywhere in this mattress. You can’t really tell from the picture, but the quilting (ticking?) on the top is not very plush. It might add another 1/2" at most. Like I said though, I didn’t measure, so I can’t argue other than impressions.

Yes, this mattress is available roll-packed, so that is likely one reason there is no side-support. That is important for story-time.

SULTAN HALLEN

This mattress has about 2.5" of padding (the thicker layer of lower density polyfoam and polyester fiber) over the springs […] The thicker padding compared to [/quote][sic. you mean “in”? ] [quote]the Hallen would also make it less durable (more “soft stuff” on top to soften and break down over time) so it may have more of a tendency to develop soft spots or impressions over time.

I didn’t see 2.5" of padding, do you have an additional spec? I only noticed the one layer of foam on top, which I took to be their “high resilience” (not “High Resilience”) layer. There may be some in the quilting, but again, I would be surprised if it made up 2.5". I would have to look again, with a tape. Regardless, I take your point about less durability since it relies on more of the lower quality foam. It has more room to fall, so to speak.

If I had to choose between these mattresses for a child (although I would hesitate to choose any of them) I would lean towards the Hurva with the Bonnell coil which would likely be firmer and more suitable for a child and also more durable and could also make a good “base mattress” for a topper so you could extend its useful life when they get older and heavier and begin to develop and need some additional padding and pressure relief in their mattress .

That was my thought as well. The only thing that made me consider the Hallen is its initial feel. But that’s for me, not the child. I suspect that the firm mattress would not be as much of an issue for a small child. It’s possible that the firmness would be tolerable for longer (let alone with a topper) than the support from the pocket coils would last in the Hallen. But the Hallen felt good in the store… I might also take the child’s preference into account, but that’s always tricky…

Still at this price range for a twin, either is well within a short-term (4 - 5 yrs?) experiement, provided one is ok with that up front. I realize for someone to advertise that they’re considering budget IKEA after having read the info on this site could be …disturbing…, but I’ve got our mattress to consider too, and I’m not ready to claim expertise enough to try my hand at two mattresses when this stop gap may do.

I don’t like “subject creep”, so I’ll post elsewhere with the full saga that led me here…

[phoenix]

Hi MatRest,

I’m not sure about the spring height, but I would be very surprised if there is a 2" comfort layer anywhere in this mattress. You can’t really tell from the picture, but the quilting (ticking?) on the top is not very plush. It might add another 1/2" at most. Like I said though, I didn’t measure, so I can’t argue other than impressions.

I believe that the coil is 5" tall and the mattress itself is 7 1/8" tall so the other layers (foam and fiber padding and the fire barrier) would be about 2". If you were to measure the foam it would probably be closer to 1" and then the fiber padding and the fire barrier would probably be about another inch at its thickest point. They don’t list the layer thickness but this would probably be close.

[sic. you mean “in”? ]

There was an “if” in my reply for the Hallen which was a typo and should have read “it” and I also spelled “pocket” as "picket. Both have been corrected so it now reads correctly. Is that what you were referring to?

I didn’t see 2.5" of padding, do you have an additional spec? I only noticed the one layer of foam on top, which I took to be their “high resilience” (not “High Resilience”) layer. There may be some in the quilting, but again, I would be surprised if it made up 2.5". I would have to look again, with a tape. Regardless, I take your point about less durability since it relies on more of the lower quality foam. It has more room to fall, so to speak.

The pocket coil in this mattress is 7" tall (see the measurements here) and the Sultan Hallen mattress is 9.5" tall so the foam and fiber layers should be about 2.5" thick in total (again at their thickest part).

That was my thought as well. The only thing that made me consider the Hallen is its initial feel. But that’s for me, not the child. I suspect that the firm mattress would not be as much of an issue for a small child.

Children will generally do better on a firmer mattress than would be comfortable for an adult because their bodies are less developed, more flexible and pliable, and less “curvy” than an adult.

Still at this price range for a twin, either is well within a short-term (4 - 5 yrs?) experiement, provided one is ok with that up front. I realize for someone to advertise that they’re considering budget IKEA after having read the info on this site could be …disturbing…, but I’ve got our mattress to consider too, and I’m not ready to claim expertise enough to try my hand at two mattresses when this stop gap may do.

Assuming that the coil count is not lower than the numbers in the 312 unit here … I think it would be a suitable lower budget choice for a child and would give you the option to add a topper if they need it down the road as they grow bigger.

Phoenix

[MatRest]

Hello Phoenix,

I am no longer considering the IKEA mattresses (at the moment - except as last resort), but for the sake of completeness, here are a couple more pictures I took of the HALLEN layers:

Direct Measurement - top and bottom foam layer is 1" thick. I see spring height (between top and bottom foam layers) to be 5.5" or so.

Another view - looks like the mattress is less compressed here. (?)

From the outside

It looks like the quilting and top/bottom cover are fairly thick, ~ 2" or so total.

[phoenix]

Hi MattRest,

Direct Measurement - top and bottom foam layer is 1" thick. I see spring height (between top and bottom foam layers) to be 5.5" or so.

Thanks for the additional pictures

The foam is somewhat obscuring the view of the springs and I think if you were to measure the height of the springs themselves you would find they are 5" (which is a standard thickness) and the rest of the mattress’ thickness (measured from crown to crown rather than from the tape edge) would be the padding which would include the insulator, the foam, and the cover and quilting.

Phoenix

[MatRest]

Hi Phoenix,

That’s my sense as well.
I didn’t notice anything (an insulator?) between the springs and the 1" of foam when I looked.
The cover and quilting seems to take up more space than I’d have thought.

Sorry for the dodgy pictures - I didn’t notice this mattress in the cutaway section on the wall, and it was tough to get good snaps hunched over trying to hold the mattress, tape, etc. all while looking sane.

I think the best use of these pictures might be as encouragement to people to open up the mattress and look for themselves.
(I did point that possibility out to a couple of people in store - so far so good)

[Steve_Smith]

My first post here. Really appreciate the technical discussions here.

I am currently considering a Morgongava. I’ve read elsewhere “all IKEA latex mattresses are flippable (two-sided)” but the cutaway photo above looks like it has two layers and only the bottom has zone holes. Am I correct in assuming it’s not flippable? Or is it (sort of)?

[phoenix]

Hi Steve Smith,

I am currently considering a Morgongava. I’ve read elsewhere “all IKEA latex mattresses are flippable (two-sided)” but the cutaway photo above looks like it has two layers and only the bottom has zone holes. Am I correct in assuming it’s not flippable? Or is it (sort of)?

The Mountaintop latex has pincores (the holes in the latex) on both the top and bottom of the latex but neither the top or bottom pincores go all the way through the latex and they have different patterns that don’t “meet in the middle”. You can see a video about how they are made here but the top and bottom pincores may not both be visible from the sides depending on where the latex is cut (either through the pincores or in between the pincores) so it may “look like” the pincores are only on one side.

The layers are a similar firmness on both sides (although there may be a relatively small difference in firmness on each side) and since there is only one layer of latex in the Morgongava and the fabric and quilting is the same on both sides it is a two sided mattress and you can sleep on either side (and the mattress can be both rotated and flipped … see post #2 here).

Phoenix

[Steve_Smith]

Phoenix, thanks for the quick reply and super helpful explanation. So far, I have not found any other comparable latex mattresses here in Canada in the Morgongava (our) price range. Do you know of any?

[phoenix]

Hi Steve Smith,

So far, I have not found any other comparable latex mattresses here in Canada in the Morgongava (our) price range. Do you know of any?

If you let me know your city or postal code I’d be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

The tutorial post also includes this link to a list of the better online manufacturers and retailers I’m aware of that ship across Canada and many of them sell latex mattresses that use different types and blends of latex with different designs, features, options, return or exchange policies, and price ranges as well that may also be worth considering.

Phoenix

[Steve_Smith]

Victoria, BC. Thanks again, Phoenix.

[phoenix]

Hi Steve Smith,

You’re in my old stomping grounds

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Victoria, BC and Up Island areas (subject to the guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

[Steve_Smith]

Hey thanks for the leads. I will check them out.

[donw]

Phoenix, thanks so much for your helpful insights–I’ve been reading them occasionally for a few years, now. We want our next mattress to be a latex one and recently went to Ikea to try some out. I had looked at these pictures before going and felt I could better communicate with the sales person because of it. When I commented on being glad the zoning had extra support in the hip area (which I’m sure I felt laying on the Matrand, he said “no, there is actually less support in the hips to allow hips to sink in more”. I didn’t argue and tell him I saw pictures on the internet, but it got me thinking why Ikea seems to have bought into this theory (less support needed at hips) enough so that their new Lonset slatted base (which replaced their adjustable Sultan Laxeby actually has weaker slats at both the hips and shoulder with no way of adjusting the firmness of them!

Then I started investigating the company who you and others agree makes Ikea latex mattresses, MountainTop Foam. From their “Our Products” page here, they say: “Mountain Top Foam Pure Latex Support Cores provide the ultimate in full body support. 7-zoned design provides additional pressure relief in the shoulders and hips while providing uplifting support in the Cervical and Lumbar curves. This combination of up lifting support and contour relief maintains proper spinal alignment and a comforting night’s sleep.” So what I think has happened is Ikea is repeating what MountainTop is telling them, but MountainTop has basically put a “spin” on what they are actually doing. There is actually MORE support and LESS pressure relief at the hips of their mattresses, which is good for some people with bad lower backs like me.

But unfortunately, Ikea actually bought into the “spin” enough to replace their quite nice Sultan Laxeby adjustable slatted base with their non-adjustable, flexy-at-the-hips Lonset.
What do you think?

[phoenix]

Hi donw,

But unfortunately, Ikea actually bought into the “spin” enough to replace their quite nice Sultan Laxeby adjustable slatted base with their non-adjustable, flexy-at-the-hips Laxeby.
What do you think?

The zoning design that works best for individual people can vary widely and can be different for different body types and weight distributions. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #2 here and post #2 here and post #4 here.

With a simpler 3 zone mattress then the middle zone would generally cover both the hip/pelvis and lower back areas and would generally need to be firmer to better support this part of the body which carries the most weight.

With 7 zone configurations that have more zones that can target more specific areas of the body the zoning system that would tend to work best “in theory” for the largest number of people (keeping in mind that theory doesn’t always reflect the ideal combination for any specific person) would generally be softest under the shoulders, a little firmer under the hips/pelvis (the hips are a pressure point for many people but are also heavier than the shoulders), and then firmest under the recessed part of the lower back/lumbar area.

Having said all that … some good research and studies (by Bart Haex in particular) shows that the “ideal” zoning configuration is very individual (and some body types may do best with no zoning at all) which is why “theory” may not be relevant for a specific person and personal testing or your actual sleeping experience is the only reliable way to know whether a particular zoning configuration will work well for any specific person.

Phoenix